Drastically reduced water price in Pljevlja

From the beginning of next year, the residents of Pljevlja will pay cheaper water, nine to ten cents per cubic meter, it was confirmed to "Vijesti" by the local administration.

Secretary of the Secretariat for Communal and Housing Affairs, Roads and Water Vule Macanović He said that the price list automatically entered into force, because the municipal assembly that was supposed to decide on it was not held within three months of the request being submitted. Vodovod submitted this price list to the Municipality on July 31, but the local assembly did not decide on it within the deadline due to the blockade of the work of the local parliament, which lasted two and a half months, due to disagreements within the work of the parliamentary majority, that is, among the councilors of the New Serbian Democracy.

"According to the Law on Communal Activities, if the Assembly does not meet or decide within three months of submitting the request, the price list is considered to be automatically adopted," said Macanović.

Precisely because of the expiration of that deadline, the proposal no longer depends on the vote of councilors, as the decision is considered to have been made by force of law, and has been withdrawn from the agenda of the local parliament.

According to the new price list, the fixed portion of the water price charged monthly will amount to 1,0283 euros, instead of the previous 1,4306 euros. This represents a reduction of about 28,1 percent.

The variable part of the price, which depends on consumption, was reduced from 0,5749 euros per cubic meter to 0,4364 euros, which is about 24,1 percent lower.

The cost of receiving and disposing of municipal wastewater has also been significantly reduced.

The fixed portion calculated monthly will now amount to only 0,0457 euros, while it was previously 1,583 euros, which means a decrease of as much as 97,1 percent.

The variable part of the price for this service was reduced from 0,0971 euros to 0,0193 euros, which represents a reduction of about 80,1 percent.

The Regulatory Agency for Energy and Regulated Utilities has approved the price proposal of the municipal company Vodovod in Pljevlja.

Last year, local parliamentarians did not approve the increase in water prices, which was set by the Regulatory Agency for Energy and Regulated Communal Activities, so this year, instead of a drastic increase of 153 percent, in accordance with the law, the citizens of Pljevlja received reduced bills for consumed water. Explaining their decision, the councilors of the ruling majority and the opposition said that the accumulated financial problem in the Waterworks should not be allowed to be solved at the expense of the citizens. The Waterworks says that the local administration will have the same yardstick towards the employees of the Waterworks, because next year the company will be left without significant income from providing water supply services and receiving and discharging municipal wastewater.

According to the law, if the Parliament does not give its consent, temporary prices will be applied, which are ten percent lower than the current prices, and the Municipality of Pljevlja must compensate Vodovod for the difference up to the price approved by the Agency.

The Municipal Secretariat for Finance then claimed that due to the municipality's failure to approve the price list, the Water Supply Company would have to allocate 1,4 million euros annually to cover the difference in the price set by the Regulatory Agency.

Last year, the Regulatory Agency gave the Water Company permission to increase the fixed part of the monthly service price from 1.5895 to 3,6142 euros per user, and the variable part from 0,6388 to 1,6016 euros. Along with water bills, the service of receiving and disposing of municipal wastewater is also included.

The Pljevlja Water Supply System has over 8.100 users and delivers around 880.000 cubic meters of water to users annually.